Miners talk of tensions during ordeal

Speaking for the first time about some of the more heated moments during 69 days trapped in a Chilean mine, one of the 33 rescued miners told CNN Saturday that food became controversial. The miners agreed to ration canned fish, sometimes as small as a bottle cap a day, but the issue of eating caused tension, said Juan Illanes, 52, an electrical mechanic and former Chilean serviceman.
"It was a topic that was very, very delicate at the time," Illanes told CNN's Anderson Cooper.
He, four other miners and two of the rescuers spoke of their experiences in a CNN interview.
On other occasions, the miners felt panic. During their first 17 August days in a collapsed mine, the outside world had no contact with the miners, and many thought they were dead.
Even after rescuers made contact with the miners, many days proved difficult as rescue plans suffered setbacks.
"After a while, we sometimes felt panic, but it wasn't a mass panic," Illanes said. "There was always good will among us. We always had meetings, and we did it in a conversational manner, and that's what kept us calm."
Their 69 days below ground was the longest mining captivity in history. Illanes' accounts provided a glimpse into the hardship of being trapped in a hot, dark mine where helmet lamps provided the only illumination.
Read More:http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/11/20/chile.miners.interview/index.html?hpt=C1